Bid rigging: Eight firms fined a total of RM1.5mil, 500 others under MyCC probe


KUALA LUMPUR: Eight firms have been fined a total of RM1,548,192.35 after being found guilty of bid rigging conduct involving four IT-related projects.

Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) chief executive officer Iskandar Ismail said the projects were worth RM1.92mil under the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage of Malaysia (Aswara).

In addition, he told a press conference on Tuesday (July 5), MyCC was currently investigating 20 other cases involving 500 companies for suspected bid rigging activities in contracts worth more than RM2bil.

Iskandar said MyCC began investigating the Aswara projects after receiving information on suspected bid rigging from the academy.

“We investigated the matter under Section 15 of the Competition Act 2010 to determine if there was an infringement of the Act.

“During the course of the investigation, we discovered four projects containing similar elements of bid rigging, one involving a tender and three requests for quotation (RFQ),” he said.

The eight companies were Tuah Packet Sdn Bhd (Tuah Packet), Caliber Interconnects Sdn Bhd (Caliber), Aliran Digital Sdn Bhd (Aliran Digital), Novatis Resources Sdn Bhd (Novatis), ViaMED Sdn Bhd (ViaMED), Silver Tech Synergy Sdn Bhd (Silver Tech), Venture Nucleus Sdn Bhd (Venture Nucleus) and Basenet Technology Sdn Bhd (Basenet).

Iskandar said Aswara was prompted to notify MyCC of its suspicions in 2017 after a Tuah Packet representative attended a business presentation for a tender which Caliber had won the year before.

“Our investigations found that there were two cartels involved in the bid rigging process," he said.

He added that following the imposition of fines, the companies concerned could be blacklisted and prevented from taking part in or accepting procurement offers from government agencies for up to five years.

“We will be resolute (in taking) stern action with more decisions to follow,” he said.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Nation

Man killed by lightning in Sungai Petani
Zahid arrives in Beijing, last stop in official China trip
Nine out of 10 fires in Perlis are open burning cases, says Bomba
Ministry to finalise study on elevated autonomous rapid transit system by August, says Johor exco member
'Why must we register with Budi when there's Padu?' MP asks govt
Chef Wan apologises for Aishwarya Rai dress post
Barber claims trial to armed robbery charge
Health Ministry bans sales of Everest fish curry masala, MDH curry powder
Weather-related illnesses rise to 88 cases, says Nadma
Apply for fleet cards to enjoy diesel subsidy, goods vehicle owners told

Others Also Read